Best CRM for events management

As an event organizer, you know that managing attendees, coordinating with vendors, and keeping track of countless details can be overwhelming. To streamline your efforts and ensure a successful event, you need a CRM system tailored to the unique demands of event management.

A CRM helps you efficiently manage contacts, automate follow-ups, track ticket sales, and analyze engagement—all from a single platform.

In this blog post, we'll explore the best CRM options for event organizers like you, highlighting the features that will help you stay organized, enhance attendee experience, and drive your events to success.

Warum Sie ein CRM benötigen

Managing events can be overwhelming without the right tools. A CRM can transform your workflow and create consistency in your communication strategy, which is crucial for both event promotions and at the point of following up after a successful one.

Herausforderungen ohne CRM

Below are a few challenges that you might already be experiencing as an events manager without realising it. These tend to be a common theme amongst event organizers operating without a suitable CRM in their tech stack.

• Disorganization: Manually tracking client details, event registration, and event logistics leads to chaos and errors.
• Missed opportunities: Without a system, it's easy to overlook potential clients and follow-ups.
• Inefficient processes: Time-consuming manual tasks reduce productivity and increase costs.
• Lack of insight: Inadequate reporting and analytics hinder strategic decision-making.
• Inconsistent communication: Without a centralized system, communication with clients and team members becomes fragmented and unreliable.

Vorteile eines CRM-Systems

If you're wondering whether or not it's time for you to invest in a CRM, below are a few benefits that prove how having the right tool can have a direct impact across your every day business operations.

• Centralized information: All client and event details are stored in one place, ensuring easy access and organization.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automating repetitive tasks saves time and reduces errors, allowing you to focus on high-value activities.
• Improved customer relationships: Track client interactions and preferences to provide personalized service and build stronger relationships.
• Better decision-making: Access to detailed reports and analytics helps you make informed decisions and optimize your strategies.
• Increased sales: Efficient lead management and follow-up processes lead to higher conversion rates and more business opportunities.
• Consistent communication: Streamlined communication tools ensure that all team members and clients are on the same page, enhancing collaboration and satisfaction.
  

How to boost your events management process with a CRM

Below are a few ways a CRM can boost your events management efforts, pre and post event.

👉🏼 Try folk now to map event pipelines and track every stage from inquiry to execution

1. Abbildung Ihres Prozesses

Defining and tracking the stages of your process are crucial for streamlining event management. Identify key stages such as initial client inquiry, proposal creation, contract signing, event planning, execution, and post-event follow-up. Use a CRM to create a visual pipeline that tracks each event's progress, and custom fields to segment your data ensuring no detail is overlooked and improving overall efficiency.

2. Lead-Qualifizierung

Methods for assessing and qualifying leads and customers are essential for prioritizing your efforts. Implement scoring criteria within your CRM to evaluate leads based on factors such as event size, budget, and timeline. This helps you focus on high-potential clients, optimizing your resources and increasing conversion rates.

3. Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Nachverfolgung

Examples of automated email and LinkedIn campaigns to leads and customers can significantly enhance your outreach efforts. Use your CRM to set up personalized email sequences that nurture leads through the sales funnel. Integrate LinkedIn to send targeted connection requests and follow-up messages, ensuring consistent communication and improving engagement.

Wie man eine CRM-Plattform bewertet und auswählt

When you're evaluating CRM options for your event management team of 20-50 people, it's essential to consider platforms that can scale with your growing operations while remaining intuitive for your expanding team.

1. Definieren Sie Ihre Anforderungen.

Identify the key features needed for your events management business. Essential functionalities may include attendee management, event registration, ticketing, email marketing, and real-time analytics. Consider integrations with other tools you use, like social media platforms and payment gateways, to streamline your workflow.

Key features of a CRM for events management

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows, allowing your team to focus on more strategic activities. Automation can handle everything from email follow-ups to task assignments, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds Leads, Customers email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency. This feature helps you build a more comprehensive database without manual data entry, saving time and reducing errors.
• Multiple pipeline: Tracks leads and customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness. A well-organized pipeline helps you visualize the journey of each lead, making it easier to identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences. Predefined email sequences ensure timely and consistent communication, enhancing your engagement with leads and clients.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contact information from LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and more to leverage your social media network in order to find and nurture potential clients directly from the platform.
• Analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning. Detailed reports and forecasting tools help you make informed decisions, optimize your strategy, and anticipate future trends.
  

2. Budgetüberlegungen

Balance between cost and return on investment for using a CRM for events management. While some platforms may offer advanced features, ensure they align with your budget and provide measurable benefits. Look for scalable options that can grow with your business and offer flexible pricing plans.

3. Auswahlverfahren

Steps to research and choose the right CRM vendor include reading reviews, asking for recommendations from industry peers, and scheduling demos. Evaluate vendors based on their experience in the events management sector, customer support quality, and the robustness of their security measures.

4. Demo anfordern

How to trial and compare different CRM platforms for events management. Start with free trials or demo versions to assess usability and feature set. Create a checklist of your requirements and rate each CRM against these criteria. Pay attention to user interface, ease of integration, and customization options to ensure the chosen platform meets your specific needs. To see how a top CRM can transform your event management, get a demo of Folk to get you stated.

3 Tipps für die Implementierung eines CRM-Systems

Cut the time it takes to start familiarising yourself with your new CRM by keeping these three things front of mind.

1. Importieren Sie Ihre Daten in Ihr neues CRM.

Transitioning to a new CRM can be seamless if you properly import your existing data. Start by exporting your data as a CSV file from your current CRM. This ensures that all your contact information, event details, and communication history are accurately transferred and ready to use in your new system.

2. Erstellen Sie Ihre erste Pipeline

Setting up your first pipeline is a critical step in customizing your CRM for event management. Define the stages that correspond to your event planning process, such as "Lead Capture," "Initial Contact," "Proposal Sent," "Contract Signed," and "Event Execution." This tailored pipeline helps you track the status of each event and ensures nothing falls through the cracks, providing a clear overview of your event lifecycle from start to finish.

3. Holen Sie Ihr Team an Bord

Once your CRM is set up, it's essential to onboard your team effectively. Provide training sessions to familiarize them with the new system, emphasizing how it will enhance their workflow and improve event management. Encourage them to explore the CRM's features and share tips on best practices. A well-trained team will be more confident and efficient, leading to better collaboration and successful event execution.

The 5 best CRMs for events management

1. Volksmusik

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting. For event management teams of 20-50 people, folk CRM stands out as the ideal solution, combining powerful functionality with the simplicity needed to onboard and manage a growing team efficiently.

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Wichtigste Merkmale

• Kontaktanreicherung: Reichert Kontaktdaten automatisch an, indem E-Mail-Adressen und LinkedIn-URLs ermittelt werden, was eine effiziente Kontaktaufnahme ohne manuelle Dateneingabe oder zusätzliche Kosten für E-Mail-Dienste ermöglicht.
• Social media integraiton: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and more to folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Serienbrieffunktion: Vollständige E-Mail-Synchronisierung, Vorlagen und Tracking-Funktionen, mit denen Benutzer die gesamte Kommunikation direkt über das CRM verwalten können.
• KI-gestützte Funktionen: KI-Tools helfen bei der Verwaltung von Kontakten und Beziehungen, automatisieren Routineaufgaben und schlagen Maßnahmen zur Steigerung der Produktivität vor.
• Integrationen: folk lässt sich nahtlos in über 6.000 Apps integrieren, darunter Gmail, Zapier und Make, sodass Benutzer ihren Workflow zentralisieren und die manuelle Dateneingabe reduzieren können.

Vorteile

• Benutzerfreundlichkeit: folk wird für seine intuitive Benutzeroberfläche gelobt, die es auch für technisch weniger versierte Nutzer dank schneller Einarbeitung und minimaler Lernkurve zugänglich macht.
• All-in-one: folk optimiert Ihren Workflow, indem es Ihnen ermöglicht, Kontakte aus LinkedIn zu importieren, deren E-Mail-Adressen automatisch zu finden, sie über anpassbare E-Mail-Sequenzen zu kontaktieren und Interaktionen in einer Pipeline zu verfolgen. Dadurch werden mehrere Tools überflüssig und Sie sparen Zeit und Geld.
• Customizability: Personalize every aspect of your CRM from folk's dashboards to your custom fields, pipelines, and workflows.
• Integrationen: folk lässt sich nahtlos in über 6.000 Apps integrieren, darunter Gmail, Zapier und Make, sodass Benutzer ihren Workflow zentralisieren und die manuelle Dateneingabe reduzieren können.

Nachteile

• Reporting and analytics: folk includes advanced analytics such as pipeline and stage metrics, revenue forecasting with weighted probabilities, performance breakdowns by owner/channel/custom fields, and revenue insights dashboards.

Preis und Pläne

Sie können folk mit einer 14-tägigen kostenlosen Testversion kostenlos ausprobieren. Danach gelten folgende monatliche oder jährliche Abonnementmodelle.

• Standard: 20 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Premium: 40 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

Hubspot CRM ist eine benutzerfreundliche, skalierbare Plattform, die integrierte Tools für die effiziente Verwaltung von Vertrieb, Marketing, Kundenservice und Betriebsabläufen bietet.

Wichtigste Merkmale

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for promoting events and capturing attendee interest.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, helping you manage sponsorship deals and ticket sales efficiently.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases to support event attendees and resolve issues quickly.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, ensuring smooth coordination between event planning and execution.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency, crucial for targeting high-potential attendees and sponsors.

Vorteile

• User-friendly interface: The intuitive and easy-to-use interface makes it accessible for event planners with varying levels of technical expertise.
• Comprehensive free plan: The robust free version includes essential CRM features, ideal for small event management companies and startups.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: Integrates smoothly with marketing, sales, and service tools, creating a unified platform for managing events and customer interactions.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing, lead nurturing, and sales workflows, saving time and improving efficiency in event planning.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers free courses, certifications, and resources to help users maximize the platform's potential.

Nachteile

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing can become expensive at higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small event management companies as they scale.
• Limited capabilities in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, restricting flexibility for growing event businesses.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in the free plan is restricted by limits on the number of emails you can send, a drawback for businesses with larger attendee lists.
• Zusätzliche Kosten für Add-ons: Viele nützliche Funktionen, wie erweiterte CRM-Fähigkeiten und Integrationen, sind kostenpflichtige Add-ons, was die Gesamtkosten erhöht.
• Steep learning curve for new users: While the interface is user-friendly, the breadth of features can be overwhelming for new users, requiring time to learn.

Preis und Pläne

Die Preise und Tarife für die CRM-Suite von HubSpot bei einem Jahresabonnement sind wie folgt.

• Starter: 15 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Professional: 450 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Unternehmen: 1.500 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.

3. Salesforce

Salesforce ist eine robuste CRM-Plattform für große Unternehmen, die Tools für Vertrieb, Marketing, Service und Analysen mit umfassender Skalierbarkeit bietet.

Wichtigste Merkmale

• Comprehensive ecosystem: A unified platform offering CRM, marketing automation, customer service, and custom app development, ideal for managing diverse event management needs.
• Customization and scalability: Salesforce is highly customizable and scalable, allowing event management companies to tailor the platform to specific workflows and manage growth effectively.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration: Salesforce Einstein offers AI-driven analytics and automation, providing insights to optimize event planning and execution.
• Extensive integration capabilities: With Salesforce's AppExchange, event managers can integrate the platform with a wide range of third-party applications, ensuring seamless operation across different tools.
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance: Salesforce provides robust security measures and compliance features, critical for handling sensitive attendee and client data.

Vorteile

• Comprehensive feature set: Salesforce offers an extensive range of features covering sales, service, and marketing, making it a powerful tool for managing all aspects of event planning and customer relationships.
• Highly customizable: Salesforce is highly customizable, allowing event managers to tailor the platform to their specific needs with custom fields, objects, and workflows.
• Extensive integration capabilities: Salesforce integrates with a vast array of third-party applications, enabling seamless data flow across platforms used in event management.
• Scalability: Salesforce is highly scalable, making it suitable for event management companies of all sizes, with the ability to grow with your business.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Salesforce provides powerful analytics and reporting tools, allowing event managers to gain deep insights into their data and make informed decisions.

Nachteile

• High cost: Salesforce can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized event management companies, with high licensing fees and additional costs for add-ons and customization.
• Steile Lernkurve: Aufgrund seines umfangreichen Funktionsumfangs und seiner Komplexität erfordert Salesforce oft viel Zeit und Schulungen, bis die Benutzer es beherrschen.
• Komplexe Einrichtung und Anpassung: Die Ersteinrichtung und Anpassung kann schwierig sein und erfordert oft die Hilfe von Experten oder zertifizierten Beratern, was die Gesamtkosten erhöht.
• Benutzeroberfläche: Einige Benutzer empfinden die Salesforce-Oberfläche als veraltet und nicht so intuitiv wie andere moderne CRM-Plattformen, was die Benutzerfreundlichkeit beeinträchtigen kann.
• Overwhelming for small teams: Salesforce's robust features may be overkill for smaller event management teams, leading to underutilization of the platform's capabilities.

Preis und Pläne

An annual subscription plan with Salesforce for is as follows.

• Starter Suite: 25 $/Benutzer/Monat bietet grundlegende CRM-Funktionen für kleine Unternehmen.
• Pro Suite: 100 $/Benutzer/Monat, einschließlich erweiterter Tools für wachsende Unternehmen.
• Enterprise-Plan: 165 $/Benutzer/Monat bietet umfangreiche Anpassungs- und Automatisierungsmöglichkeiten für große Unternehmen.
• Unbegrenzter Tarif: 330 $/Benutzer/Monat bietet umfassende Funktionen für große Unternehmen.
• Einstein 1 Sales: 500 $/Benutzer/Monat bietet KI-gestützte Einblicke und erweiterte Funktionen für große Unternehmen.

4. Zoho

Zoho ist ein CRM-System mit starkem Vertriebsfokus. Es verfügt über Funktionen wie Journey Orchestration, Vertriebsprozessmanagement und Workflow-Automatisierung. Auch für Marketingteams gibt es einiges zu entdecken, darunter Lead-Hunting, Eventmanagement und Kundensegmentierung.

Wichtigste Merkmale

• Lead and contact management: Manages attendee information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted event campaigns.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows users to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth event analytics.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage attendee interactions seamlessly.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes like follow-up emails and reminders to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
• Sales pipeline management: Visualizes and manages event registration pipelines with drag-and-drop functionality for better tracking.

Vorteile

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing with various tiers, making it accessible to small and medium-sized event management companies.
• Multi-channel communication: Supports email, phone, social media, and live chat, enabling event planners to manage all attendee interactions from a single platform.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow event managers to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields, modules, and workflows.
• Integration with Zoho Suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products (like Zoho Campaigns) creates a comprehensive ecosystem for managing different aspects of event planning.
• Mobile accessibility: Zoho CRM offers a robust mobile app, allowing event managers to access data and manage relationships on the go, with offline capabilities.

Nachteile

• Steile Lernkurve: Die umfangreichen Anpassungsmöglichkeiten können für neue Benutzer überwältigend sein und erfordern einen erheblichen Zeitaufwand, um die Plattform zu beherrschen.
• Komplexe Einrichtung: Die Ersteinrichtung und Konfiguration kann komplex sein, insbesondere für Unternehmen ohne technisches Fachwissen oder dedizierte IT-Ressourcen.
• Leistungsprobleme: Gelegentliche Berichte über langsame Leistung, insbesondere bei großen Datensätzen oder komplexen Vorgängen, können die Produktivität beeinträchtigen.
• Funktionsbeschränkungen in niedrigeren Tarifen: Bei den günstigeren Tarifen fehlen möglicherweise erweiterte Funktionen, sodass Nutzer für wichtige Funktionen auf teurere Tarife upgraden müssen.
• Data migration challenges: Migrating data from other CRMs to Zoho can be difficult and time-consuming, often requiring manual adjustments.

Preis und Pläne

Der kostenlose Tarif von Zoho ist auf drei Benutzer beschränkt und eignet sich für kleine Unternehmen. Danach gelten folgende jährliche Abonnementtarife.

• Standard: 20 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Professional: 35 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Unternehmen: 50 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.

5. Kapsel-CRM

Capsule CRM ist eine benutzerfreundliche Plattform für das Kundenbeziehungsmanagement, die speziell für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen entwickelt wurde. Sie bietet eine übersichtliche, intuitive Benutzeroberfläche, mit der Nutzer Kundenbeziehungen verwalten, Vertriebspipelines verfolgen und Aufgaben und Kommunikation effizient organisieren können.

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Wichtigste Merkmale

• 1 sales pipeline: Manage your event leads and customer journey efficiently.
• 30,000 contacts: Store and manage a large number of event attendees, vendors, and partners.
• Activity reporting: Track all interactions and activities related to your events for better follow-up.
• Task management: Assign and manage tasks related to event planning and execution.
• Workflow automation: Automate repetitive tasks to streamline event management processes.

Vorteile

• User-friendly interface: Capsule CRM offers a clean and intuitive design, making it easy for event planners to navigate and quickly access important features. This simplicity reduces the learning curve, making it an excellent choice for teams without extensive CRM experience.
• Contact and sales management: The platform provides robust tools for managing contacts, organizing customer information, and tracking sales opportunities, helping event planners maintain a clear view of their relationships and sales pipeline.
• Customization options: Capsule CRM allows users to customize fields, tags, and pipelines to fit their specific event management needs, offering flexibility in how they manage data and processes.
• Integration capabilities: Capsule integrates with various popular third-party applications, including G Suite, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, Xero, and QuickBooks, allowing users to create a seamless workflow across their event management tools.
• Affordability: Capsule CRM offers competitive pricing with a free plan for basic needs and affordable premium options, making it accessible for event management startups.

Nachteile

• Limited advanced features: Compared to some of its competitors, Capsule CRM lacks more advanced features such as in-depth analytics and comprehensive automation, which can be a limitation for larger event management companies with more complex needs.
• Grundlegende E-Mail-Marketing-Funktionen: Capsule lässt sich zwar mit E-Mail-Marketing-Tools wie Mailchimp integrieren, seine integrierten E-Mail-Marketing-Funktionen sind jedoch relativ einfach. Nutzer, die erweiterte E-Mail-Marketing-Funktionen benötigen, müssen möglicherweise auf Integrationen von Drittanbietern zurückgreifen.
• Limited customer support: Capsule CRM primarily offers support through email and an online help center. The lack of live chat or phone support might be a downside for event planners who prefer immediate assistance or more direct support options.
• No built-in phone or SMS integration: Unlike some other CRMs, Capsule does not have built-in phone or SMS functionality, which could be a disadvantage for event management companies that rely heavily on direct communication with clients through these channels.
• Scalability concerns: While Capsule CRM is great for small to medium-sized event management businesses, companies that are rapidly growing or have more complex CRM requirements might find the platform less scalable as they expand.

Preis und Pläne

• Starter-Tarif: Ab 21 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Wachstumsplan: Ab 38 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Erweiterter Tarif: Ab 60 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.
• Ultimativer Plan: Ab 75 $ pro Benutzer und Monat.

Schlussfolgerung

Choosing the best CRM for events management is pivotal to streamlining your operations, enhancing client relationships, and driving business growth. Each of the CRMs discussed—folk, Hubspot, Salesforce, Zoho, and Capsule CRM—offers unique features and benefits tailored to different business sizes and needs. However, for event management teams of 20-50 people, folk CRM emerges as the clear winner, delivering the perfect balance of powerful functionality and ease of use that medium-sized teams require. While Hubspot offers a comprehensive suite for marketing and sales, Salesforce excels in scalability and customization, Zoho provides affordability and multi-channel communication, and Capsule CRM is ideal for smaller businesses with its user-friendly interface, folk CRM's intuitive design, LinkedIn integration, and scalable pricing make it the top choice for growing event management companies. For teams looking to streamline their workflow without overwhelming complexity, folk CRM provides the ideal solution that grows with your business needs. Try folk for free here.

👉🏼 Try folk now to never miss a follow-up and centralize attendee communication

Brauchen Sie Hilfe? Nutzen Sie unser kostenloses Tool, um das für Sie perfekte CRM-System zu finden.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What is CRM in event management?

A CRM for events centralizes contacts, registrations, sponsors, and vendors; automates emails and follow-ups; tracks ticket sales and tasks; and provides analytics to improve attendance, sponsorships, and post-event engagement.

How do you use a CRM for event planning?

Map stages from inquiry to post-event, import contacts, build pipelines, segment audiences, automate outreach and reminders, sync email and LinkedIn, track deals and tickets, and report on performance to refine future events.

How do you choose a CRM for event management?

List must-haves (attendee management, email, analytics), check integrations and security, set a budget, test usability with demos, and assess support. Compare fit for team size; try options with free trials such as folk.

How much does an event management CRM cost?

Pricing typically ranges from $15 to $500 per user/month, depending on features, automation, analytics, and support. Many tools offer free tiers or 14-day trials. Budget for add-ons like email volume, integrations, or extra pipelines.